Honest opinions needed

[seedubs1]

Take her to rental ranges and let her shoot as many as possible. Have her try before buying. There's too many good options out there these days for an internet forum to tell you which to buy.

We can tell you what NOT to buy, though.....there's still some turds out there (Jennings, High Point, Taurus, Sig, etc...)

 

[Snapdragon]

My wife hates the one I recommended for her many years ago; but she does like my LCR357! (and she has rheumatoid arthritis in her hands!)

Yep, the .357 LCR is my go-to carry gun. Small and easy to shoot.

 

[thunderchicken]

While she may not like a revolver and think it's bulky, she needs to learn a lesson I learned.

They're less bulky than you think, especially if you're wanting to wear tight clothing and need exceptionally good concealment. A tiny scandium j-frame in a small holster IWB is about as good as you're going to manage. Semi autos, regardless how thin, are going to print in a very specific way with tight clothing.

If you have to do a semi-auto, I might give a kahr P380 a hard look.

They're not popular opinions, but I'd be surprised if many folks have much experience wearing anything relatively tight.

I am a huge wheel gun fan. My dad says I have never out grown my inner cowboy.
So, I have taken her to the range many times and she has shot several wheel guns and the only ones she has liked are .22s. She has tried Ruger SP101s, S&W686, S&W air weight, Taurus snubby (not the light weight), Ruger LCR .38spl all in either .38 or .357. She just doesn't like the way they shoot unless they are thumb cocked and shot single action.
They either have a hard trigger pull or are just too uncomfortable to shoot more than a few rounds with. She'll burn through a brick of .22s in a revolver though.

She has tried carrying a few empty guns around the house and at this point she is liking strong side IWB at about the 4:30- 5o'clock position.

 

[Areoflyer09]

My wife was dead set that a PPS M2 was the right choice for her. Neither of us had shot anything bigger than a .22 at that point and really we just wanted something for the range. Neither of us knew better. She wasn’t fond of how the larger guns fit her hands (thankfully that’s changed with practice). Anyways, she got her PPS and I picked up a PPQ. 6 months down the road, she found the the PPQ far more pleasant to shoot and the PPS became snappy and unpleasant. Guess which one stopped being shot?

I think my wife would be ok with a PPS type pistol now that she’s learned how to manage recoil on larger frames and calibers. I guess my point being, it wouldn’t hurt to be sure she’s happy with a smaller gun to start with.

FWIW, I found the P938 to be less snappy than the PPS. But I never liked the recoil impulse on the PPS, it didn’t fit me well.

 

[thunderchicken]

I see a lot of mistakes when it comes to suggesting pistols to women big or small. First mistake is that a small girl should have a small pistol... A lot of the single stack 9's can be overly snappy, they are hard to master for experienced shooters. I see the single stack micro 9's (43, shield, etc..) as more master class pistols. I have never seen an exception to this rule. Every new shooter I take out handles larger pistols easier and more naturally. And the most important part of carrying a pistol is hitting only what you mean to hit, and hitting it before it hits you. Confidence over concealability. You can make up for concealment through wardrobe choices, you can't slap just slap on some confidence.

The second mistake, is buying someone their first pistol and expecting it to be a quality uber concealable pistol, while being a good platform to learn on. I applaud getting her a pistol, but don't necessarily think that you should be choosing her carry pistol. That is like picking out boots for your coworker, it is a personal fit. I really suggest getting something to train with. Something fun enough to get her to the range, rather than dreading being forced to go shoot a pistol that wants to jump out of her hand. If she enjoys shooting, she will find people to enjoy it with and that will allow her to try on a number of pistols from the rental counter or from friends arsenals.

Last mistake I see a lot, expecting a small pistol to fit a small hand. There are some pistols designed with a small hand in mind, but most of the single stack conceal 9's are designed with an average man hand for an ergonomic model. They may be smaller, but that does not mean they will fit a petite hand.


A few suggestions, based on pistols I've seen newbies look like pro's with.
-CZ75, it just fits everyone so well. it is not necessarily a wise conceal choice due to weight, but it will make her a better shooter as well as be enjoyable at the range.
-cz p10c, it fits everyone who holds it, and is concealable with a growing holster following.
-HK VP9 The full size is very concealable and fits everyone. There is a subcompact version as well. The hk mag release is easy for any hand to manipulate.
-SW M&P9 2.0 compact, probably the easiest pistol to pick up and shoot of them all. It is easily concealed, easily shot all day. Somehow the pistol just absorbs all the recoil. I have shot my 40 2.0 compact with the hottest ammo I could get my hands on without any fear of it being snappy. Just a well made pistol that oozes confidence in shot placement.

I like glocks, but I do not suggest them to anyone with hands smaller than mine. I run gen4's with no backstrap and still have trouble getting my thumb to the mag release.

Good points and well noted. I will be letting her try out pretty much anything she wants to try. And ultimately she will decide which one she wants.
The challenges so far has been with gun size and recoil/muzzle flip.
As stated she has smaller hands and struggles to get a good grip on many full size pistols. Yet, I also know we want to stay away from sub compacts at this point as well.
We will be spending some time in some ranges/shops just shopping around

 

[fishbass62]

Smith and Wesson 638. You can even get it with pink grips, if she is into that. Great little revolver, 5 shot 38 +p.

 

[thunderchicken]

First thanks for the good input. Originally I was thinking about buying her a handgun and surprising her with it. But now I am thinking y'all are right she needs to handle some guns and put rounds down range before I buy it for her.
I am seeing a few recommended guns to go try out.

Also, thanks for the offers to let her try out some guns. I may take you up on the offers.

This is one of those thing I want to get right. I would hate to buy her a gun and have it end up in a box and never shot or traded off something she may or may not be happier with.

The beat part is...I will get to spend time with my daughter and shooting together. That is a win win

 

[jamil]

First thanks for the good input. Originally I was thinking about buying her a handgun and surprising her with it. But now I am thinking y'all are right she needs to handle some guns and put rounds down range before I buy it for her.
I am seeing a few recommended guns to go try out.

Also, thanks for the offers to let her try out some guns. I may take you up on the offers.

This is one of those thing I want to get right. I would hate to buy her a gun and have it end up in a box and never shot or traded off something she may or may not be happier with.

The beat part is...I will get to spend time with my daughter and shooting together. That is a win win

Plus, you don't necessarily have to tell her you're going to buy her one. Just take her to the range. Rent some gunz. Have some fun. Figure out what she likes and go from there.

 

[ART338WM]

Take her to rental ranges and let her shoot as many as possible. Have her try before buying. There's too many good options out there these days for an internet forum to tell you which to buy.

We can tell you what NOT to buy, though.....there's still some turds out there (Jennings, High Point, Taurus, Sig, etc...)

This PRECISELY!!!!! I just bought a Sig P230 Cary and the #1 reason I chose it was I went to Point Blank Gun store in Merrillivlle IN and rented and shot nearly every HG I
was interested in shooting. The Sig fit me the best and for what ever reason I shot it the best and can not tell you the difference shooting a gun first hand can make VS
buying based on someone elses experience. I was 95% certain in buying a CZ SP-10c until that is I shot one and didn't like it one bit.

Considering your daughter's hands are small it is especially important if at all possible she test fire any gun she likes prior to buying. Having said that The only two guns I
have 1st hand experience shooting that I feel strongly would fit well in smaller hands would be a S&W M&P 2.0 or a M&P Shield. I own a 9mm Shield and I have
quite large hands and the Shield about disappears in my hand so it should be a good fit for small hands. I put about 100 rounds through a rental M&P 2.0 Compact and
it also felt very small in my hands despite it's 15 round magazine, and it comes with 4 different sized palm swell inserts so there is a pretty good chance it would fit her.
Also the M&P 2.0 can be had for at or under $400 so its a good buy. But these are my opinions and are at best subjective.

Best of luck.

 

[masterdekoy]

My wife has taken to my g19 gen 4. She’s doesn’t have the smallest hands, but not large by any means. I think it’s a fallacy to push small single stack guns on the ladies in our life. Fine if that’s what they choose, but they are typically harder to operate (higher spring rates in the slide) and harder to shoot accurately (shorter sight radius, harder to get a proper grip, typically heavier triggers, snappier recoil).

That being said, I (for my carry, not my wife) own a shield and it is a great gun. Recoil is less than a g43 (IMO) and reliable. Another great option is the Walther PPS.

edit: great suggestion to have her try out several and figure out what she prefers.

 

[cosermann]

Not a woman, but as husband and dad of many daughters, it seems like the young ladies these days want a smallish pistol to go with their dress. If they're on the smallish-framed side and recoil sensitive the task becomes one of threading the needle with something that's a size/weight they will actually carry/use (usually smaller), AND something that has a recoil level with which they are comfortable training.

You'll have to see if the small 9mms are something she's comfortable with. If not, have her try the G42 and Kahr CW380 (my preference is for the 42).

 

[epeery]

If the intent is daily carry, I would suggest that you look at the availability of holsters, grips, sights, as well before a final decision. My first semi-auto was an EAA Witness which I just purchased this spring. After running several hundred rounds through it (and intentionally buying every inexpensive type of ammunition I could find to test it) I have had zero failures from the gun and it's very comfortable to shoot, but finding a holster is proving to be a challenge.

 

[Cameramonkey]

If the intent is daily carry, I would suggest that you look at the availability of holsters, grips, sights, as well before a final decision. My first semi-auto was an EAA Witness which I just purchased this spring. After running several hundred rounds through it (and intentionally buying every inexpensive type of ammunition I could find to test it) I have had zero failures from the gun and it's very comfortable to shoot, but finding a holster is proving to be a challenge.

Excellent advice right there. Floppy nylon one size fits many holsters are NOT appropriate for EDC. Range use maybe. But not EDC.

 

[thunderchicken]

Excellent advice right there. Floppy nylon one size fits many holsters are NOT appropriate for EDC. Range use maybe. But not EDC.

That is a good point. I have had her carrying various guns in different holsters around the house to see what she likes & how she may want to carry. So far she seems to like my IWB alien gear holster. Or a Don Hume leather pancake holster.


Yeah no cheapo generic floppydick nylon holsters in this house.

 

[Expat]

First, the wife does not carry. Never has and never will.
I let her pick out whatever handgun she wanted and she chose a Beretta PX4 compact. She really liked the size and maybe most importantly, she thought it was pretty.

 

[red_zr24x4]

First, the wife does not carry. Never has and never will.
I let her pick out whatever handgun she wanted and she chose a Beretta PX4 compact. She really liked the size and maybe most importantly, she thought it was pretty.

Mine really has no interest in carrying, wants one for her yearly trip to Georgia. She wants a revolver she can put pearl grips on......

 

[Expat]

Mine really has no interest in carrying, wants one for her yearly trip to Georgia. She wants a revolver she can put pearl grips on......

That'll look nice :-)

 

[Ggreen]

First, the wife does not carry. Never has and never will.
I let her pick out whatever handgun she wanted and she chose a Beretta PX4 compact. She really liked the size and maybe most importantly, she thought it was pretty.

My wife is the same, she refuses to even go shooting with me though. Not her thing, and that is fine. I'd rather her carry, but I don't want her carrying something she isn't confident with. So we stick to a nasty pepper spray on her keyring and purse.

The PX4's are interesting pistols. Mine was a soft shooter, but the dao trigger was nonsense. I want to try a sa/da version. The only failures I ever experienced were from limpwristing. It would ftf without a firm grip. Still, I thought it was a comfortable pistol that was extremely accurate. It was often the favorite of family and friends until they got ahold of the cz75. Still I could see the merits of a PX4 sub compact with a da/sa trigger. Beretta did an excellent job of rounding it out and the full size never snagged. The sub would probably make a great purse gun if she ever decides to start carrying.

 

[lazarus0213]

I may have missed it , but I didnt see anyone yet recommend a ruger lc9s or a lc9s pro. my wife has one and shoots it well, carries it often too.

 

[HodgeStyle]

From experience, my wife just purchased the M&P Shield .380 EZ. She is petite and doesnt need much grip strength to rack the slide. It is an awesome shooting gun and she can handle it very easily after going shooting at the range for a day. Might want to have your daughter check into it.